Things that are worth paying more for
Discussion
Inspired by a thread I saw on Reddit.
In a world where many things seem to be a race to the bottom on price and quality, what items, products, experiences or services are you willing to pay more for? What do you find to be false economy? What is so much better if you pay a few quid more?
Some obvious ones from me:
Bin liners:
Buy cheap ones for £2.50 which tear the second you try to use them, or £4 for a pack of 'heavy duty'. Absolute no brainer.
Wine: A few pounds more per bottle genuinely makes an exponential difference to the quality.
Mattress: I have had numerous cheap mattresses over the years but now won't buy anything that isn't good quality. My back has thanked me for it.
In a world where many things seem to be a race to the bottom on price and quality, what items, products, experiences or services are you willing to pay more for? What do you find to be false economy? What is so much better if you pay a few quid more?
Some obvious ones from me:
Bin liners:
Buy cheap ones for £2.50 which tear the second you try to use them, or £4 for a pack of 'heavy duty'. Absolute no brainer.Wine: A few pounds more per bottle genuinely makes an exponential difference to the quality.
Mattress: I have had numerous cheap mattresses over the years but now won't buy anything that isn't good quality. My back has thanked me for it.
Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 26th September 12:15
Kitchen roll - If you buy the cheap ones you'll just end up using twice as much and getting messy hands when it invariably tears.
Airport Lounges - quieter, cleaner and comfier than being with the pleb and if, like me, your default cure for boredom is to eat something you'll make a good chunk of the money back by not buying a terrible pasty for £10 or something silly.
StevieBee said:
If you like music; HiFi.
Yeah, nothing comes close to proper separates. All this multi-room in-ceiling malarky is all well and good but pound for pound it sounds shoddy in comparison.Same for TV systems; a soundbar and sub can do impressive things in isolation but a proper amp & decent speakers will blow it out of the water.
How have so many people forgotten this?
Dark85 said:
Kitchen roll - If you buy the cheap ones you'll just end up using twice as much and getting messy hands when it invariably tears.
I disagree with you there, I have bought Regina in the past and I find it seems to just leave lots of fibres behind. Tesco Springforce Jumbo Kitchen Towel 240 Sheets for 91 pence on the other hand is absolutely brilliant.Shoes is the one for me, every time I have bough a cheap pair of shoes I have been in absolute agony and ended up hobbling to Boots at lunchtime to buy blister protection.
Editted to say, it would appear Tesco have reduced the quality of the Springforce kitchen roll in the last week or two and it is now smaller, thinner, more expensive and apparently now rubbish.
cowboyengineer said:
Business class flights when the flight time is more than 4 hours
Business class flights full stop, assuming the price is reasonable. The extra benefit you get of priority check-in, priority security, lounge access, one of the first off the plane so no queuing at immigration and on some airlines the complimentary transport from your home to the airport and airport to your accommodation makes it worth while. Plus the main benefit of getting a superior in-flight experience. (ETA: obviously depends on the airline).We're looking to go to the Oshkosh airshow next year and I was just looking at flights; looks like Lufthansa have a 747-8 going out on dates that work for me and being on the upper deck of the 747 before it disappears is a bucket list item for me; prices are pretty reasonable too.
Edited by parabolica on Monday 26th September 12:40
Agree on mattresses (and most other things suggested so far).
From recent experiences..
Decent fuel
Drain rods (the cheap ones break resulting in a messy retrieval)
Millionare shortbread (and other chocolatey goodies)
House internal finishings (skirting, doors, etc - if you do it cheap you will regret it down the line and wish you'd paid that bit extra for decent quality)
Furniture
Light fittings/bulbs
Roof coverings (slates/breather membrane, etc)
Razor blades
I'm sure that I'll think of a few more.
From recent experiences..
Decent fuel
Drain rods (the cheap ones break resulting in a messy retrieval)
Millionare shortbread (and other chocolatey goodies)
House internal finishings (skirting, doors, etc - if you do it cheap you will regret it down the line and wish you'd paid that bit extra for decent quality)
Furniture
Light fittings/bulbs
Roof coverings (slates/breather membrane, etc)
Razor blades
I'm sure that I'll think of a few more.
Bin bags was an excellent shout, and also the bin itself.
I'd also go for:
Jumpers/cardigans. S N S Herning is my fave.
Headphones.
Computers. I've never regretted paying the extra and getting Mac stuff. So much time saved.
Acoustic guitars. Stump up the £3.5k for a martin D-28.
Shaving stuff. I like Geo F Trumper.
I'd also go for:
Jumpers/cardigans. S N S Herning is my fave.
Headphones.
Computers. I've never regretted paying the extra and getting Mac stuff. So much time saved.
Acoustic guitars. Stump up the £3.5k for a martin D-28.
Shaving stuff. I like Geo F Trumper.
Edited by paulguitar on Monday 26th September 16:54
Shoes and clothes. You spend a lot of time in them - you want the best you can afford. For those who wear suits, getting them made to fit properly is worth every penny.
Food. Let's face it - this is your body's fuel. Crap food is unhealthy, frequently fattening, and won't help you live longer. The sheer amount of c**p that goes into a lot of our food is staggering, and I refuse to eat or drink ultra-processed s**t.
Food. Let's face it - this is your body's fuel. Crap food is unhealthy, frequently fattening, and won't help you live longer. The sheer amount of c**p that goes into a lot of our food is staggering, and I refuse to eat or drink ultra-processed s**t.
Disagree on mattresses. A few years ago, Vikingette1 needed a new mattress. So we thought we would venture towards memory foam. All the mattress companies - Eve, Simba, Blah blah blah. So being confused, we decided to buy a £70 7-zone Amazon basics memory foam mattress to try out, figuring it was a cheap way to try one out. It arrived rolled up, we let it air for 24hours and she tried it. Best mattress ever for those that like firm beds. So we changed all the other single beds in the house to them. Anyone who sleeps in them comment on how comfortable, soft and supportive they are.
I'm currently sleeping on one in the spare room as Mrs V. has Covid.
I'm currently sleeping on one in the spare room as Mrs V. has Covid.
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